BUDGETING

For many Americans, the idea of an unanticipated expense, like a car breaking down, is cringeworthy. If you had to come up with $5000 today to pay for a car repair, how would you feel? Are your palms sweating? What if instead of your car needing a repair, you experience an unexpected job loss? Now, do we have your attention?  Although “Budgeting” is our topic this month we didn’t want to scare you with bringing up this dreaded word before grabbing your attention. Too often,

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When shopping for a car, it's usually best to start by shopping for a car loan. When you’re shopping for a car loan, remember that what it costs you to borrow depends on three things: The finance charge, expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR) The term, or length of time the loan lasts The principal, or amount you borrow 1. The APR The APR (Annual Percentage Rate) is a percentage of the loan principal that you must pay to your credit union, bank, or other lender every

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Humans are fallible—sometimes we just need guidelines. If you struggle making sense of a sea of budgeting systems and apps, consider the 50/30/20 rule. The 50/30/20 rule states that your after-tax income should be roughly divided three ways: 50% to needs 30% to wants 20% to long-term savings The 50/30/20 rule is not gospel and it's not a law. It's a guard rail around your spending and savings decisions. Here's a tool to help you see how much of your monthly income

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